Short and happy, turnaround

In the last seven days I have run a 0.28-mile stretch of the Deschutes River Trail near my house 79 times. That is over 20 miles never leaving that sub-half mile stretch. And what is fun is that I am not the only one out there. It is the Bend Burrito League, part of the larger Burrito League phenomenon which is a bunch of folks trying to run a specified segment the most times this month. Right now, I am about 150 segments short of the leaders who have been out at all times of day putting in laps. BUT WHY, I MEAN WHHHHYYY I ask myself as I get pulled back there. This summary of Burrito League sums up exactly how I feel about it. "The beauty of Burrito League is that it gives everyone permission to be ridiculous together, in public, anchored only loosely by a sense of place and purpose. To try hard at something that doesn’t matter, only to find that it matters anyway. To talk to strangers. To stay longer than planned. To come back again tomorrow. To have something silly to cheer for."  Right now, the news is bleak and it turns out my cure for doomscrolling is this 0.28 stretch of the river trail! 

SNACKS
Here are some things I ate last week that were delicious and perfect and you must know about them. 

• For pre-run: Banana bread mug cake.
• For post-run or as part of lunch: Spinach egg bites.  

​
FORGOT TO TURNAROUND
Have any "I don't know how I survived my teens" memories? Here is a headline I had to read three times. "Teenage triathlete Bohdi Jackson, 17 was rescued after running nearly 31 miles through Australia's Kosciuszko National Park when he went ahead of his group during a 5-mile training run, took a wrong turn, and "forgot to turn around" while listening to "very loud" rap music." Think about the fitness and resilience it takes to run 3 hours too far on a FIVE MILE RUN!I hope this kid survives his teens and becomes an ultrarunner! 

RUNNING WHILE 80
What does it take to hold a running world record as an octogenarian? This article (looking at one male runner achieving great things at 81) argues, preserving muscle, frequency of runs and keeping up weekly mileage for performance. While the number of participants in this study couldn't be smaller, the lessons are food for thought. 

SHORT AND HAPPY
Short and happy, which is me when I don't doom scroll. Also these videos: 

• Mountain biking down a ski slope, thank you Red Bull.
• "What is the industry here in Bend, Oregon? He quickly answered, Pinecone Factory" Thank you Jim Gaffigan for cracking me up every time I clear the driveway of the 6 inches of pinecones that accumulates weekly. 

JOIN ME AND GET STRONG
Join me on Wednesday night for Strength Training for Runners. Live to your screen and always free. Let's do squats together, it will be fun.